Private Education & Development Awards 2019

14 Corporate Vision 2019 Private Education & Development Awards , Woodbury AutismEducation and Research Autism Education Facilitators of the Year 2019 - New South Wales Apr19186 Based inNew SouthWales, Australia, Woodbury AutismEducation and Research is an independent school for children in years K-6 with a primary diagnosis of AutismSpectrum Disorder. We invited Clinical Director Lauren Chapman to tell us more. Woodbury is an Autism specific education provider and the only school in Australia with qualified behaviour analysts and speech and language pathologists on site and in classrooms to support the implementation of curriculum and oversee the progression of learning. This unique skillset and experience, combined with a specific focus on providing students with tailored support is what sets the school apart from others and marks it out as the best possible option for parents of Autistic children, as Lauren highlights in her opening comments. “At Woodbury, we utilise the research-based principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis to provide individualised educational programs to each and every one of our children. All of our children are different; different ages ranges from early intervention at 4 years of age to primary school education up to 12 years of age, different abilities, different learning styles and different needs. “Our success as a school comes from capitalising on these differences. Each child is treated as an individual and a specific educational program focusing on their current needs is designed, written and implemented by our teaching and clinical team. While each individual program is different our ethos and long-term aim remains the same; each of our children are working towards achieving the skills needed to successfully participate in the broader community. We aim to bridge the gap between intensive early intervention and school-based learning by providing systematic support in the areas of group learning and participation.” Such personalised support would be very much impossible to provide without dedicated, expert staff who have a diverse range of skills and experience. Lauren is proud of her team and the work they undertake and as such is eager to discuss how she supports them and cultivates an internal culture of continuous learning for her team. “Employing a broad range of staff with varying experiences has been a huge advantage to us. I truly believe in a multi- disciplinary approach and that there is no one size fits all solution. Having a diverse range of expertise and a variety of experiences allows us to work together and collaborate as a team in our aim to provide a truly holistic approach to our students support and education. Our highly trained teaching and learning team provide expertise in the areas of behaviour support, communication, social interaction, independence, group participation and academic progression. This dedicated team of behaviour analysts, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and special educators are on-site and in our classrooms daily providing students the individualised supports they need for success. “To support these staff and ensure that they perform to the best of their abilities at all times, we provide intensive induction training including 6 months of theoretical training and hands on in class support. We place a large emphasis on up-skilling our staff and ensuring they have the necessary skills to confidently support within the classroom. We complete annual competency assessments looking at our staff’s ability to implement theory into practise and we provide monthly in class coaching and mentorship focusing on specific goals outlined within the competency assessment. We also provide monthly after school training sessions and professional development days four times per year giving additional training and support in recent topics from both in-house trainers and external experts. Ensuring my staff are confident and supported is key to ensuring my students are confident and supported, and as such it is one of my core focuses as Clinical Director.” As part of the school’s ongoing commitment to supporting pupils it recently integrated a new service into its offering which Lauren is keen to showcase. “Recently Woodbury opened an early intervention service to supplement our school program. Ruben’s place is an intensive group based early intervention for children aged between 3.5-5 years of age in the 12 months before they start school. This part time placement works cohesively with the child’s current in-home support to provide valuable experience and support in the areas of group participation to get the students ready for